A flip-flop is a type of open footwear consisting of a flat sole held to the foot by a Y-shaped strap passing between the first and second toes and along the sides. Its parameters: (1) sole material (rubber, foam, cork), (2) strap configuration (Y-strap between toes), (3) open construction (no heel or side enclosure). It persists through manufacturing traditions, footwear design standards, and global trade in casual footwear. [formal: calceus | substrate: matter | horizon: a life | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.01]
Accepted ontology entry
flip-flop
A flip-flop is a type of open footwear consisting of a flat sole held to the foot by a Y-shaped strap passing between the first and second toes and along the sides. Its parameters: (1) sole material (rubber, foam, cork), (2) strap configur…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A type of open footwear consisting of a flat sole held to the foot by a Y-shaped strap passing between the first and second toes and along the sides of the foot. Human-made design optimized for warm-weather casual wear, with origins in Japanese zōri and sandals adapted for mass production.
Names and aliases
- flip-flopen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmrql30e609p4d1nl2ltf255lINSTANCE_OF →
A flip-flop is a specific type of sandal — a thong-style sandal with a Y-shaped strap that passes between the first and second toes. Law 9: specific→general. A competent speaker would call a flip-flop 'a sandal.' The nearest kind is sandal (not footwear, which is a further generalization).
- cmrv95hcn00ej2ceiyhbz89dxINSTANCE_OF →
Nearest-kind check: flip-flop IS a specific kind of mechanism — a bistable circuit mechanism for storing binary state. Competent-speaker test passes: flip-flop is a mechanism that toggles between two stable states. No more specific kind exists in the graph.
- cmrf51qwi005rcqqtmpyziy84INSTANCE_OF →
Sense pinned: electronic memory (not cognitive). A flip-flop IS a 1-bit memory element in digital electronics — a bistable circuit that stores one bit of state. Competent-speaker test in the relevant domain: 'a flip-flop is a type of memory (circuit element).' This is the nearest kind: no intermediate rung between flip-flop and memory in the electronics taxonomy.
Relations to this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 30, 2026, 2:45 PM UTC
- Content hash
- 2be788837adbaa36aceb387b28cb8621d804d7085f8c8cdf4d2b50074fabeb77